RWANDA_WAR

The presented database is taken from the World Bank's large database called World Data Indicators (WDI). The reference year is 2023.
This database, extracted from the WDI, concerns only African countries with similarities to Rwanda. It is used for the analysis of the Impact of the 1994 War on the Economic Growth of Rwanda: An Approach Using the Synthetic Control Method
This study examines the economic impact of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, with a focus on changes in GDP per capita. Using annual panel data spanning 1975–2015 and encompassing 29 African countries, the analysis employs the synthetic control method to assess the causal impact of this event.
The results reveal that, despite reconstruction efforts and notable resilience, the genocide resulted in significant economic losses. Between 1995 and 2015, Rwanda recorded an average annual decline of over US$117 in GDP per capita compared to the counterfactual scenario.
However, constructing a credible synthetic Rwanda encountered methodological challenges due to the country’s atypical profile (landlocked economy, high population density), which required expanding the comparison group. This methodological constraint may limit the precision of the estimates. The findings highlight the magnitude of the lasting economic effects of violent conflict and call for strengthening prevention and resilience mechanisms to major shocks in developing countries.